Air for breathing is typically supplied from high pressure medical air tanks, while lower pressure compressors are used to supply air for dentists and surgeons. This lower pressure air is typically filtered either before or after ambient air is compressed for use in drying or cleaning during operations.
In the dental environment, pressurized air is used to dry teeth and gums after rinsing, and typically the air is sprayed on small open wounds or bleeding gums. It is imperative to ensure that the air is free of any living microorganisms. Airborne microorganisms including especially fungal spores are difficult to filter out with perfect certainty and without expensive filter maintenance. Fungal infections can be transmitted by spores blown into oral wounds or by airborne spores exposed to open wounds in a hospital environment.
When air is heat treated for sterilization, the air must remain at a relatively high temperature (above 100.degree. C.) for most microorganisms to be destroyed, spores requiring much long exposure to high temperature for sterilization. This length of time is not very practical in an air flow system.